Lubricator.



U. U. CARR. LUBRIATOR. APPLICATION FILED 00T.12, 1910.

Patented Oct. 17, 191 1.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES.

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TlNTTFD STATES PATENT @FFTCE UHEL U. CARR, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES KARRAL, 0F HORNING, PENNSYLVANIA.

LUBRICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Application filed October 12, 1910. Serial No. 586,675.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, UHEL U. CARR, a resident of Pittsburgh, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Lubricators, of which the following is aspecification.

rl`his invention relates to lubricators for journal bearings, and hasparticular reference to the lubrication of wheels for mine cars andother uses which may be advantageously lubricated by soft grease asdistinguished from oil.

The object is to provide simple and etlicient means for confining thegrease and for feeding it automatically to the bearing, together witheflicient means for charging or filling the grease carrier.

A further purpose is to so arrange the several parts that they arereadily accessible and may be easily assembled.

In the accompanying drawings the invent-ion is shown applied to a wheeladapted for mine car use, Figure 1 being a face view of such a wheel,and Fig. 2 a section through a part of the wheel, taken on line 2-2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section through the lubricator on line 3-3 ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view of a suitable form of grease injector. Fig. 5is a longitudinal section of the lubricator shown in Fig. 1,illustrating a slight modification, and also showing the grease ejectingpiston near the end of its stroke and operating a device for indicatingthat the chamber is nearly empty.

Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates the hub of a car wheel of usualor any preferred form, 3 the spokes thereof, and 4 the fianged rim.Between two of the spokes the wheel is formed with the recessedenlargement 5 which is open at one end, preferably the end at the frontface of the wheel, and at its opposite end 6 closed save for a centralbolt passage. Entered in the cavity through its open end is thecylindrical grease chamber 7, the latter preferably open at its innerend with its opposite end closed by the outwardly projecting nut 8formed with inlet opening 9. A bolt 10, headed at one end at 11 andthreaded at its opposite end, is entered through the passage in wall 6and extends through chamber 7, with its threaded end engaged by nut S.lVith the bolt head 11 engaging the exterior of enlargement 5, thegrease chamber is securely held though readily removable. Bolt l0 isrecessed inwardly from its threaded end, as indicated at 12, with saidend in register with inlet 9, and with ports 13 opening into chamber 7.These ports are normally closed by the spring pressed Valve 14 slidablewithin the bolt cavity. In the adaptation shown in Fig. 2, the end ofvalve 14 closes against gland 15 confined between nut 8 and bolt 10,while in the construction of Fig. 5 the gland is omitted and the valvecloses against nut 8. The grease may be inserted by a syringe-likedevice 16 having spout 17 adapted to enter opening 9 and force valve 14backward and uncover' ports 13, the grease discharging through thelateral spout outlets 18 which are held in register with ports 13 by thespout enlargement 19. As the spout lits closely in gland 15, there isless space within cavity 12 for grease to accumulate than with the glandomitted as in Fig. 5, and by thus reducing the space, there is lesswaste as the grease which lodges therein is simply forced outwardthrough and around opening 9 when valve 14 closes upon withdrawing spout17.

A piston 20 slides on bolt 10 within chamber 7, being forced forwardlytherein by spring 21. The spring is preferably of frusto-conical formwhereby it may contract into substantially fiat form as it does when thepiston is moved fully backward upon forcibly charging chamber 7, therebypermitting the piston to move quite close to the chamber end and thus becompletely filled. The forward movement of the piston forces the greasethrough port 22, channel 23, and port 24 to the wheel bore, the feedbeing as rapid as the grease is taken up by the bearing. Port 24 ispreferably inclined toward the open end of the chambered portion 5 ofthe wheel so that when the cylinder 7 is removed upon the withdrawal ofbolt 10, a straight bar 0r other punching device may be inserted throughthe cavity for clearing the port of any obstruction that may becomelodged therein. lhen chamber 7 is nearly empty the advancing piston 20engages the spring-held bolt 25 extending through the end wall of thechamber and projects said bolt, as in Fig. 5, thus indicating that thechamber requires refilling. So long as the bolt 25 is not projected itwill be known that the wheel has a suflicient supply of grease.

Spring 2l may be gaged to feed the lubricant to the wheel bore at thedesired rate for maintaining efficient lubrication. There is and can beno waste under proper adjustment, all of the grease discharging from thereservoir passing necessarily to the bearing. 1t is unnecessary tofrequently replenish the reservoir as it is of sufficient capacity tohold enough grease for several days constant ruiming.

While the invention is here shown and described in connection with a carwheel, it is obvious that it may be utilized for lubricating a greatvariety of journal bearings, regardless of whether the bearing or thejournal rotates, without departing from the invention. I

1 claim 1. rlhe combination of a lubricant chamber provided with anoutlet, a tubular lubricant-admitting member within the chamber andported to communicate therewith, a self-closing valve for the tubularmember, and a piston freely slidable on the tubular member for ejectingthe lubricant from the chamber.

2. The combination of a lubricant chamber provided with an outlet,lubricant inlet means consisting of a tubular device within the chamberand ported to communicate therewith, an outwardly seating springpressedvalve normally closing said communication, and a spring-pressed pistonwithin the chamber and freely slidable on the tubular device for eject-ing the lubricant.

3. The combination of a wheel having a ported hub, a removablelubricantchamber ported to register with the ported hub, a removabledevice for admitting lubricant to the chamber, said device adapted toengage the wheel and the chamber for holding said parts ini` operativerelation, and a valve for said device.

4. The combination of a .Wheel having a journal bearing, the wheelformed with a chamber at one side of its bearing with portedcommunication between the latter and the chamber, a lubricant containerremovably entered in said chamber and ported to communicate with thelatter, and lubricant ej ecting means within the container.

5. The combination of a wheel formed with a cavity at one side of itshub, said cavity open at one end and closed at its opposite end, agrease chamber entered in the cavity with ports establishingcommunication between the chamber and the wheel bore, means securing thechamber to an end wall of said cavity, and means within the chamber forforcing grease therefrom to the wheel bore.

6. The combination of a. wheel having a cavity therein adjacent thewheel hub, said cavity being open at one end and having a passagethrough its opposite end, a grease chamber entered in the open end ofthe cavity with ports placing the same in communication with the wheelbore, a headed member entered in the chamber through the passage in thewall of the recess with the head of said member engaging said wall andits opposite end engaging the chamber for holding the latter in place,and means within the chamber for forcing grease therefrom to the wheelbore.

7. The combination of a member provided with a bearing and formed with acavity adjacent the bearing, said cavity open at one-end and at itsopposite end wall formed with a passage, a grease chamber entered in thecavity with ports establishing communication between the chamber and thebearing, a tubular bolt extending through said passage and' engagingsaid wall and also engaging the chamber for holding the latter in place,the chamber having an inlet opening communicating with the interior oft-he bolt and the latter in ported communication with the chamber, meansfor closing said communication, and means within the chamber for forcinggrease therefrom to the bearing.

8. rlhe combination of a member provided with a bearing and formed witha cavity adjacent the b-earing, said cavity open at one end and having apassage formed through its opposite end wall, a grease chamber enteredin the cavity with ports establishing communication between the chamberand the bearing, a hollow bolt extending into and engaging the chamberfor holding it in place, the hollow bolt being in communication with thegrease chamber and also having a grease inlet, a spring pressed valvewithin the bolt and normally closing communication with the chamber, andmeans within the chamber for forcing grease therefrom to the bearing.

9. The combination of a wheel formed with a cavity adjacent its hub,said cavity open at one end and having a passage formed through itsopposite end wall, a grease chamber entered in the cavity with portsestablishing communication between the chamber and wheel bore, a boltheaded at one end and threaded at its opposite end, the bolt enteredthrough the passage inthe end wall of the cavity and extending throughthe chamber with its threaded end connected to the said chamber, andmeans within the chamber for forcing grease therefrom to the wheel bore.

l0. The combination of a wheel formed with a cavity adjacent its hub,said cavity open at one end and with the passage formed through itsopposite end wall, a grease chamber open at one end with its oppositeend entered in the cavity with ports establishing communication betweenthe opposite end of the chamber and the wheel bore, the enel Wall of thechamber opposite its open end formed With a grease inlet, a tubular boltentered through the passage in the cavity and Wall and extending throughthe chamber and engaging the end Wall of the latter with the interior ofthe bolt in communication With the opening through the end Wall of thegrease chamber and also in communication 'with the interior of thechamber, a spring-pressed valve seating to- Ward the end Wall of thegrease chamber and normally closing the grease inlet, a pis ton movablewithin the chamber, and a spring behind the piston for forcing it towardthe closed end of the chamber'.

In testimony whereof I aflx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

UHEL U. CARR.

`Wtnessesz J. M. NESBIT, F. E. GAITHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

